EU orders up to 300 million more vaccine doses from Moderna

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EU Commission President von der Leyen has announced an action plan against the corona mutants. In addition, a contract for up to 300 million vaccine doses from the US manufacturer Moderna was negotiated. The EU has secured 300 million more doses of corona vaccine from the manufacturer Moderna . A corresponding second supply contract with the US group has been approved, said EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen . According to the company, 150 million of these cans will initially be delivered in the third and fourth quarters of 2021. There is also an option for a further 150 million cans for 2022.

Last year, the EU Commission initially ordered 160 million vaccine doses from Moderna. The amount that has now been reordered is added. The contract was approved by the College of Commissioners on Wednesday. The EU member states now have a few days to raise possible objections.

The Moderna vaccine is one of three that are already approved in the EU. The European Medicines Agency Ema released it on January 6th, and since then it has also been used in Germany . As with the Biontech / Pfizer vaccine, it is an mRNA vaccine. Both have an effectiveness of more than 90 percent against Covid-19 and, according to initial findings, should be relatively quickly adaptable to virus mutations.

Genetic information about the pathogen is contained in mRNA vaccines, from which the human body produces a virus protein. The aim of vaccination is to stimulate the body to produce antibodies against this protein in order to intercept the viruses before they enter the cells and multiply.

Compared to the vaccine from Biontech / Pfizer, the Moderna remedy is considered to be somewhat easier to handle because it does not have to be cooled as much. The manufacturer is based in Cambridge, Massachusetts , but also produces in the EU.

Since the start of the vaccination campaign in the EU on December 27, there has been criticism in Germany, among others, that too little vaccine is available. With the re-order, the chance increases that the situation will gradually relax.

However, Moderna had also indicated temporary delivery bottlenecks. The ten million cans announced for the first quarter are still to be delivered by the end of March. The Moderna must be given in two doses four weeks apart to be effective.